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How American Troops Die in Afghanistan

To mark the deaths of 2,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, The New York Times has a large-scale and quite moving look at how, where, and when they died, and who they are, including an elegantly produced photo series of all who have been identified.

To mark the deaths of 2,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, The New York Times has a large-scale and quite moving look at how, where, and when they died, and who they are, including an elegantly produced photo series of all who have been identified.

While the lead story by James Dao and Andrew Lehren provides a raw, personal look at the effects these soldiers deaths have on family members and friends, the true scale of the toll this conflict has taken on U.S. forces comes through in the stark infographic that accompanies the story. Some of the notable elements include the timeline showing how the first 1,000 troops to die did so over nearly nine years of conflict, but the second 1,000 died in just 27 months. Kandahar and Helmand proved to be the deadliest areas for U.S. troops, a map shows, and the vast majority of those killed (1,419) were Army soldiers. Take the time to read through Dao and Lehren's story and more data and personal anecdotes begin to create a picture of who is dying in this conflict:

Lance Corporal Buckley, who had just turned 21 when he died, typified the troops in that second wave of 1,000. According to the Times analysis, three out of four were white, nine out of 10 were enlisted service members, and one out of two died in either Kandahar Province or Helmand Province in Taliban-dominated southern Afghanistan. Their average age was 26.

You're going to want to read the entire piece, peruse the photos, and study the data at The New York Times.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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